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Showing 20 of 22 results by Owen_Smith
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Board Marketplace
Re: Do you wish to have physical notes, coins for bitcoin?
by
Owen_Smith
on 19/08/2018, 14:26:00 UTC
I feel like that could make some forms of centralization pop up. If you have all these currency notes, who's making them? Someone's gotta manufacture and make those notes and coins. Also, I think the strong benefits of using bitcoin come from the fact that you have a lot of flexibility and precision in how much money you want to send to someone. If we make some kind of notes for BTC, you lose out on that pretty nice benefit. Genuinely, we as a society are likely going to be moving away from currencies that are physical and move towards the electronics based ones. They're just a lot more fitting when it comes to the future and potential uses for crypto.
This is the most important point that has been brought up in this thread. Who would make paper notes or metal coins for BTC? How would you avoid counterfeits? Why would you even actually want paper currency? Everything is going electronic anyway. I can't remember the last time I used cash. I just use Google Pay on my phone to pay for everything. If that's the case with fiat, then it most definitely must be the case with crypto. Making some transactions with paper BTC would completely defeat the purpose of the blockchain.
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Board Politics & Society
Re: Do governments lose taxes with cryptocurrencies?
by
Owen_Smith
on 18/08/2018, 21:50:26 UTC
It's so interesting that everybody here is talking about tax laws. Some are talking about tax fraud. Squatz1 is the only one that mentioned anything about a country, when he said "Americans". Don't you guys realize that every country has it's own laws? There are actually countries with no capital gains taxes. I think it's key to point out what country you're talking about when you start talking about laws. Of course all governments would love to have some more money, but they can't lose something they never had.
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Topic
Board Economics
Re: Any help about how the world is run economically?
by
Owen_Smith
on 17/08/2018, 21:29:08 UTC
Basically the sole purpose and aim of economics is to devise way to meet the unlimited and ever growing needs with the limited resources. This has two solutions. Either rise your production which in tern will boost your GDP which will also improve the living standards of the people. Another way is to reduce the demand for luxuries and just consume the basic needs. Since the former does not sounds as impossible as the latter, the world has invented ways to maximize the per capital income and this has given the freedom to consume as much of the depleting natural resources as could be paid for.
I would say that the idea behind our modern economy is to figure out a way to translate a person's effort into a value that can be traded for something else. This is in place of the old bartering system. You have one person with eggs, one person with a cow and one person that can fix wells. If the person that can fix wells needs eggs, but the person that has eggs doesn't need his well fixed, you have a problem. In our economy, the person could fix a well for the guy with the cow for money. Then use the money to buy eggs. Maybe the guy who got money for the eggs would use it to buy milk. This is a very limited example, of course, but that's the general idea. Would you mind telling me what resources you think are actually going to be depleted anytime soon?
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Board Politics & Society
Re: If we lived in a libertarian society
by
Owen_Smith
on 16/08/2018, 20:43:57 UTC

There's also another great saying: An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. The bible also says many other contradictory things like turn the other cheek, love your neighbor and so on.

You seem to want to remain without understanding. There is no contradiction in the Bible.

Eye-for-eye is the job of the government, to retain peace and justice among the people. Go back and read. It is stated in the context of government.

Turn-the-other-cheek is an exhortation to put up with a bit of pain from another, rather than to start a big fight.

"Love your neighbor as yourself," is simply to recognize that other people feel about themselves as you feel about yourself... because we are all people. Even the crook or murderer wants love for himself. Peace in love... or do you want strife and fighting?

Cool
I don't think it's so useful to compare these things. Eye for an eye is from the Old Testament. Christ come to the Earth and fulfilled the law of the Old Testament. We can read this in Romans 10:4, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." (see also Galatians 3:23–25; Ephesians 2:15). In place of the laws of the Old Testament, Christians should now follow the law of Christ.

Matthew 5:38-39 read:
Quote
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Christ was teaching that we shouldn't take a vengeance. We shouldn't try to get back a people that do us wrong. It won't actually help anything.
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Board Politics & Society
Re: If we lived in a libertarian society
by
Owen_Smith
on 15/08/2018, 21:39:04 UTC
I didn't say most will, but the law of the land would change significantly and it goes back to more lawlessness. You will find there is more murders and rapes etc where there's very little going to be done about it. Obviously the threat of punishments and even the death penalty doesn't stop people from killing or committing crimes, but I would see it as going to some sort of post-apocalyptic scenario where it's everyone for themselves and you fend for your own life and family. There will be certainly less systems in place to prevent and investigate such crimes after they've happened I think.
Sadly, I think you're right about lawlessness increasing. I just like to think that it wouldn't quite be like the "Wild Wild West". I still think that most people would want to do good things. I don't know enough about libertarian ideas to talk about it in depth. I don't know what libertarians typically think about law, police, and justice. I'm sure they would be in support of having less systems like that. I'd love to hear any libertarians' perspectives on this, if their reading.
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Board Economics
Re: Any help about how the world is run economically?
by
Owen_Smith
on 14/08/2018, 16:36:32 UTC
Greed is what makes people poor. We always want something more thats why we are never contented with what we have. We dont learn to appreciate the little things. If people only learn to embrace the importance of being contented then i think this world will be better in terms of economy.
How can greed make people poor? I'd love to hear you elaborate on this. I agree that it is good to be grateful for what you have. It doesn't mean that you can't desire something more. The Merriam-Webster definition of 'greed' is "a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (such as money) than is needed". You can have a healthy, reasonable desire for more of something that would not be greed at all. I find it very hard to see how greed can make people poor.
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Board Economics
Re: Any help about how the world is run economically?
by
Owen_Smith
on 13/08/2018, 17:59:51 UTC
Most human economic activities are influenced by the need for money. But why can anyone not become rich?. What are the reasons why others work hard yet they are still poor? Why can't we print enough money for everyone? Questions like this do appear but there are reasons the answers are opposite.

Did you know that it is virtually impossible for everyone to be wealthy? To understand why, just think for a moment about what it really means to have a lot of money. Resources are not endless. In fact, they become more limited with each passing day. The world population keeps increasing, while Earth’s resources have stayed the same.  A lot more people are clamoring for fewer and fewer resources. As a result, only a few may gain the advantage of having excessive access. Also, if you think about it, if everyone had the same level of income or wealth, then no one would be rich. We all continue to grow richer, but relatively there will always be differences between individuals unless everything was just divided evenly. 
This really depends on what you consider wealthy. One of the definitions of being wealthy means having abundance. One of the definitely of abundance is "more than enough". Of course, not everybody can have their own mansion with a hundred acres of land, but I believe that everybody could be wealthy, meaning have more than enough. I am sure that the world has more than enough resources than we need.

To answer the OP, I truly believe that anybody can become rich if they believe in it.
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Board Politics & Society
Re: If we lived in a libertarian society
by
Owen_Smith
on 12/08/2018, 19:37:37 UTC

What makes you actually think that people would want to go around killing others?

Because people already do. If you got rid of all laws and punishments what do you think happens? It would be literal anarchy.

Couldn't they at least be deterred by the fact that others could kill them? That is a good question though. There is a lot of talk about libertarianism on this forum. I never quite thought out completely the police bit. I wonder what would happen with crime in a libertarian society.

It would be kill or be killed. Like the wild wild west (wikki wikki wah wah).

Cannabis sounds like a great business idea. Maybe you could just move to a country where it's legal and get on that. Wink

Sure, let me just leave all my friends and family to go to a foreign country just to start a business. This isn't something I'm desperate to do but would do if in my own country if it was ever legaslized, but I'd like to stay in my home country right now thnx.
Thanks for answering.

Well, most people don't kill people actually. Your logic is that they don't kill people because it's illegal? People already use heroin, for example. If it was legalized, do you think people would start using heroin in masses, like the wild wild West?

Well, I guess your friends and living in a familiar country take priority over the cannabis business. That's totally fine. I was just putting it out there as an option.
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Board Politics & Society
Re: If we lived in a libertarian society
by
Owen_Smith
on 11/08/2018, 20:42:37 UTC
If we live in a libertarian society , where you were able to run a free market paradise , without hurting anyone of course ...

What business would you run?

What type of libertarian society do you mean? One with no government controls at all? In that case I'd have some sort of Hunger Games / The Purge type scenario where you can run around killing anyone you like  Grin. Total anarchy is never great as people can't be trusted to play nice.

On a serious note I kinda like how a whole cannabis industry has popped up in some US states and other countries like the Netherlands. If cannabis was legal in my country I would probably open up a dispensary /smoking room. I haven't smoked weed since my teens but I don't agree with drug prohibition and I know it would make a great business here and take in a lot of money. I quite like the idea of social cubs or coffee shops in Amsterdam where people just go to chill have a chat and coffee or maybe even play a game of pool. Will probably be a long time before it's legal in my country but hopefully we can take after the states once they see the industry is working and they're missing out on millions in taxes.
What makes you actually think that people would want to go around killing others? Couldn't they at least be deterred by the fact that others could kill them? That is a good question though. There is a lot of talk about libertarianism on this forum. I never quite thought out completely the police bit. I wonder what would happen with crime in a libertarian society.

Cannabis sounds like a great business idea. Maybe you could just move to a country where it's legal and get on that. Wink
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Board Bitcoin Discussion
Re: Meet the Wealthiest People in Crypto
by
Owen_Smith
on 10/08/2018, 15:45:39 UTC
I have great respect for these guys. They believed in something when it was young. I'm sure lots of people thought that they were crazy, but now they're crazy rich. I'm sure there are lots of people how have just as much in crypto and more than these guys. Not everybody wants to announce it to the world. I wonder why these people are open about how much they've made? It seems like it could put at more risk than usual. I also noticed that there looks to only be one Russian (?) name and one Chinese name. Surprising. Why do you guys think there are no woman in this list?
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Board Altcoin Discussion
Re: Am I late to the party?
by
Owen_Smith
on 09/08/2018, 13:18:32 UTC
There's a saying I love that relates well to this. When is the best time to plant a tree? Well, the best time would be to plant a tree 20 years ago. The next best time is today. Yeah, you may have missed the cheapest prices on some of those currencies, but the prices will keep changing. If you keep on wait, Bitcoin may cost $100,000 some day and you'll wonder why you didn't but some when it was $6,000 or even $18,000. There are also lots of new currencies. If you play your cards right, they might see the gains that you missed out on before.
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Board Politics & Society
Re: Alex Jones and Trump
by
Owen_Smith
on 08/08/2018, 05:43:26 UTC
What is your guys opinion on Alex Jones?

He is a very energetic fellow, straightforward and gets to the point. But can he be trusted? He openly supports Trump and hates globalists from what he says in his videos. I want to believe and support Alex Jones and believe that it is the right thing to do, but I am not sure who to trust anymore. One thing is for sure. I do not trust the mainstream media, liberal or republican,but why should I trust the non-mainstream media?

Thoughts?
I'm not that familiar with him. It seems like he's got a bit overboard. I think he's right raise a lot of the topics that he does. Like somebody said here, he's certainly right about some things, but even a broken clock is right twice a day. I think sometimes people get too carried away in conspiracy theories. Do conspiracies exist? One hundred percent, yes! But does that mean there is a conspiracy in everything? No, of course it doesn't. I would definitely take everything he says with a grain of salt.
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Board Trading Discussion
Re: Trader or Gamblers.
by
Owen_Smith
on 07/08/2018, 16:45:04 UTC
In coin trading, you are your only enemy. There are no rules in this arena, only you facing you, and you are both winner and loser.
People may think that they are fighting with the market, other investors, or those scammers shark that always have their eyes on your money. In fact, you are fighting against yourself. You are the one who made the decision. You can decide yourself to lose or win, trust me.

As human nature, we all want to make a bunches and make it fast; too much temptation that incites us to gamble with our account.
In the end, only you can chase off the temptation to follow the plan.
You make a good point. It it really just yourself you are dealing with. I would say though that all trading involves gambling. To gamble means to bet on an uncertain outcome or to risk. Whenever we trade we risk. We also are betting on an uncertain outcome. We buy a certain currency because we believe it will we worth more in the future. It's a risk though because that may not happen. You're right when it comes to a plan though. You have to make a plan first, then stick to it very faithfully.
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Board Politics & Society
Re: If we lived in a libertarian society
by
Owen_Smith
on 06/08/2018, 20:20:56 UTC
Actually, we DO live in a libertarian society. People who rule other people through deception are using their freedom to do it. People who do not fight off those who deceive them are using their freedom to live that way... or to die because of it.

Consider being a hostage in a hostage situation. Your captor points a gun at your head and says, "Do this immoral sex act, or I will kill you." Now it is your turn to select your government. Is your government going to be your captor? Or is it going to be your morals? You are free to decide. If you accept your captor as your government, your choice. Pure libertarianism... at least on your part.

Cool
Interesting thoughts. I guess that when most people talk about a libertarian society, they imagine one in which people have less restrictions on their freedom. It's probably just a semantics issue. It depends what your connotation of libertarianism. If it really just means that anybody can choose to do whatever they want then that would be true of just about anybody. If you live in North Korea, for example, you are technically free to choose to do anything you want. You just probably won't like the consequences, if you do what you want. I suppose you could say that we have a libertarian society where many people have taken it upon themselves to think up punishments for any behavior that they deem inappropriate.
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Board Politics & Society
Re: If we lived in a libertarian society
by
Owen_Smith
on 05/08/2018, 15:07:46 UTC
I would run a business and not worry that the government would come around and tax me out of business. That would be nice.

Haha! This is a good one. How could no one have noticed the irony?

That's the dream, to be able to operate a free business where you don't have to fight to make a profit. Some might argue though that the way America encourages innovation is through fierce competition. More people fighting to make money makes a higher quality of business. The problem with that concept is that the government is full of incompetent crooks who turn a few million a year off their circle of glory-jerking speeches and book publications after spending several years in office making the rich richer. I don't understand how people can stand against libertarianism but have no practical solution for these crooks.
Governments often have policies that make it much more difficult for businesses to succeed. That is true. I don't think it means, though, that the lack of taxes on businesses would actually mean you wouldn't have to fight. Presumably, all business would be on a level playing field. None of them would have to pay taxes in this hypothetically situation. They would then still compete for business. The prices would just be a lot lower. Maybe I'm missing something. Could you explain how this wouldn't be the case?
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Board Off-topic
Re: Most dangerous jobs
by
Owen_Smith
on 04/08/2018, 14:49:32 UTC
A couple different jobs come to mind for me. I think the number one would be jobs where you may get shot at. When I visited Uruguay, I met a man who was in the special forces there. He worked as a bodyguard for many important people in Africa. In his career, he was shot a few times. He was lucky he survived. Of course, not that many bodyguards die because there are not that many bodyguards in the world. The other job that comes to mind is land mine removal. After wars many countries have a lot of mines left in their country. Somebody needs to remove the mines. That can be very dangerous.
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Board Politics & Society
Re: The first time I really saw the power of CHINA
by
Owen_Smith
on 03/08/2018, 17:44:39 UTC
I am from India.. I went to China bazar in India which is a local market in Dlehi... And I was awestruck to see the number of Chineese shops in India... It had almost evey china material seeling there..

Most of the electronic items and consumer durables in India are imported from China. The Indian manufacturers can't compete with them due to low quality and high price. Xiaomi is the number one mobile brand here and the Chinese brands dominate in TVs, refrigerators, ACs.etc.
It's not just India. Chinese products are all over the world! Their electronics are just getting better and better. I mean, they've long been doing electronics for foreign companies like Apple, but now their own companies are developing high quality stuff. I've traveled to a few dozen countries and it's amazing how the Chinese are everywhere. They are building roads and skyscrapers all over Africa. On of the most popular cuisines in Peru is chifa, it's a the Peruvian Chinese food. Even in Northern Iraq, you can see Chinese people running businesses. They are everywhere!
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Board Politics & Society
Re: If we lived in a libertarian society
by
Owen_Smith
on 31/07/2018, 11:12:01 UTC
Recently I've been thinking a lot about an idea some years back. The idea is to have a tool library. It's not really a business to make a lot of money, but it would benefit so many people. Basically, you just rent or buy a place and stock it many different tools that people could need. Customers just pay monthly or yearly fee to use the tools when they need them. They would have a due date, just like books from traditional libraries. It's similar to two neighbors sharing a lawn mower. You never actually need your lawn mower more than once a week. I think this is a business I might start.
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Board Off-topic
Re: Reincarnation
by
Owen_Smith
on 30/07/2018, 12:34:25 UTC
Isn't it a great concept?

But what's behind it? Is it the belief in immortality?
I guess every person who is looking at this concept is creating his own meaning.

You can believe in karma, and try to become a good person. And you can believe that there's no escape from this earth and this consciousness, and do whatever you like.

Maybe we all have a single soul, and while you are alive you give your personality to people around you and go on living in the generations to come. That's also immortality and reincarnation. Of sorts.
I don't think that immortality is quite the same as reincarnation. Wikipedia says that physical immortality is "a state of life that allows a person to avoid death and maintain conscious thought". Reincarnation requires you to die in order to be born again. I guess when you are reincarnated you still have conscious thought. You probably wouldn't say that conscious thought is "maintained" though, since it has to be interrupted. People don't usually actually remember what they were thinking about in their previous life, assuming they had a previous life.
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Board Off-topic
Re: Reincarnation
by
Owen_Smith
on 29/07/2018, 11:56:58 UTC
Some people here are saying that reincarnation can be true or else we would always have the same amount of people. Somebody would need to die in order to be reincarnated and have another person be born. I think that the thing is that many people who believe in reincarnation believe that you could be reincarnated as a different species. A human could become a fly in another life. A cow could become a human. I don't really know much about reincarnation and therefore don't believe in it. I have heard some strange stories though. Some people have claimed that they can remember their previous life. They have been able to find information about their previous selves and remember many details. I don't know if their just hoaxes or not though.